


Dude! We're Getting the Band Back Together

by localspacelesbian



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Bobby is a dick, Found Family, Gen, I'm Sorry, Mostly Fluff, based on that one episode of phineas and ferb (you know the one), i love him but in this au he's a dick, love handel au, the guys aren't dead au, very light angst i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localspacelesbian/pseuds/localspacelesbian
Summary: When Julie finds a CD in her mom's studio and learns of a band her mom loved that split up 25 years ago, she makes it her mission to bring them back together.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Flynn & Julie Molina
Comments: 20
Kudos: 48





	Dude! We're Getting the Band Back Together

"Next up is a classic from Trevor Wilson: _Crooked Te_ -"

Luke turned off the radio, hitting the button with perhaps more force than necessary and glaring at it as if that would make it burst into flames. _That lying, stealing, bast-_

"What's your problem with Trevor Wilson, man?" Vanessa asked. She was his favorite (ok, only) employee and the only other person in his guitar store at the moment, "Like, I know his newer stuff isn't as good, but that one's a classic."

"I just don't like his music," Luke answered while absentmindedly putting one of his cassettes into the stereo and pressing play. David Bowie started playing throughout the store, and he ignored how that just made him think of a different one of his old bandmates, though with a different (and more tolerable) kind of sadness than the other. "Dude's overrated," he added with a shrug, looking down at the case for the cassette he was playing. It had his name on it in Alex’s handwriting with a little heart next to it. _How did that get in here?_ Oh well, it was a good mixtape, and it’d be weirder to take it back out now.

"Uh huh." Vanessa raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, clearly not believing him that that was all there was to his hatred of Trevor Wilson. Fortunately, the ding of the bell over the door stopped any further questioning as she turned to help the customer.

* * *

Julie took a deep breath before opening the doors to her mom’s studio. Coming out here was always hard, but she’d promised her dad that she’d start cleaning it out, so they could move. Because Tia Victoria kept saying that moving was moving on. Julie wasn’t entirely sure she bought that, but she did know she’d have to come in here eventually anyway.

The studio looked the same as it always did, like it was frozen in time at the moment of her mom’s death. She walked over to the piano first, until the pain of looking at it, and the song her mom had left sitting there, almost consumed her. She shook herself out of it and began making her way up to the loft instead, figuring that might be an easier place to start.

And that’s where she found it. A CD. She wasn’t really sure what drew her to it initially. It was just a simple black case with the words ‘ _Sunset Curve_ ’ in white curly letters, and she was sure she’d never seen it before. Yet it was up here with her mom’s old things. Curious, she decided to take it back downstairs and put it in the stereo. The first song started with someone counting off, then a different voice singing,

_“Take off, last stop_

_Countdown till we blast open the top_

_Face first, full charge_

_Electric hammer to the heart”_

_This… kinda slaps._ Julie bopped her head along to the music. She looked at the case, pulling out the insert. There was a picture of four guys, a little older than her maybe. One of them looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

She pulled out her phone to google the band, quickly finding an article titled, _‘Sunset Curve: A Hollywood Mystery.’_

 _Huh._ The door to the studio opened, and she looked up. Her dad poked her head in. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard music coming from in here.” He smiled. “This is pretty good. What is it?”

She handed him the CD case. “I found it upstairs with mom’s things.”

He looked at it and nodded. “Sunset Curve. Oh yeah, I remember them. Your mom met them once when she was working at the Orpheum, right before they canceled their performance.”

“What happened?”

He shrugged. “No one knows. She was talking to one of them, Bobby I think, while the other three went out for street dogs. They were late coming back, so he went out to look for them, and they never came back.”

“Weird.”

“Yeah… they were good, too. Your mom always said if they had performed that night, they would have been legends.” He handed the CD case back to her and looked around the room. “Doesn’t look like you got much cleaning done.”

“Yeah…” She looked around. “Guess I got distracted.

“Well, we’re not in any hurry. Maybe you could get Flynn to come over and help out tomorrow.”

Julie nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“Now, come on.” He put his arm out. “I’m making spaghetti.”

“My favorite.” She stood up and let him put his arm around her as they walked out of the studio and into the house.

The next day, Flynn came over, but they didn’t get much cleaning done then either. Julie told her about _Sunset Curve_ , and they did a little more research. Flynn got it in her head that they needed to track the band down and get them back together. Julie grinned. She couldn’t help but think her mom would love it.

* * *

The easiest to track down was the bassist: Reggie Peters. He owned the hair salon Julie’s mom used to go to, which Flynn insisted was some kind of sign. The two girls shared a look, taking a deep breath in sync, before they opened the doors and walked in together.

Flynn marched right up to the front desk and said, “We’re looking for Reggie Peters?”

The receptionist didn’t even look up at them. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Oh no, we aren’t looking for him to do our hair.” Julie said, causing the woman to look up.

Flynn flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Obviously.”

“Then why are you wasting my time?”

A man came bouncing up to them. He couldn’t be much younger than Julie’s dad, but he had more energy than her little brother. He still looked remarkably like the pictures of him they’d found. “Oh, don’t be rude, Melissa. What do you girls need?”

“You were the bassist of Sunset Curve, right?” Flynn asked.

His face fell, suddenly showing his age, but his smile was back in a second, though a little less real this time. He waved his hand. “Oh that was a long time ago. I try not to dwell on the past too much.”

Julie took a step forward. “My name is Julie Molina. You used to cut my mom’s hair.”

“He’s cut a lot of people’s-”

Reggie nodded, cutting off Melissa. “Rose, yeah I remember her. I heard what happened. I’m sorry.”

Julie nodded. “Yeah, you met her that night at the-”

“The Orpheum.” He nodded again. “I remember.”

“She always said you guys would’ve been legends. I think she would have liked to see you get back together.”

Reggie gave her a sad smile. “Yeah… I’m sorry, kid, but it’s just not going to happen.”

Flynn reached for her pocket, but Julie put out her hand to stop her. “Not yet, Flynn.”

“Anyway, you don’t need me. I just play bass in the background.” He looked kind of sad. “Nobody even remembers me.”

Julie and Flynn shared a look. “Are you kidding?” Julie asked. “You’re the whole darn show.”

“Yeah, you’re the only one with any style,” Flynn added. “Which we all know is the most important part.”

Reggie shrugged one shoulder, like he couldn’t argue with that. “Well, sure, after Luke cut off all his sleeves the one time Alex was on vacation, I knew there wasn’t much hope for him. Plus, the other guys never really saw the value in having a good skin care routine.” He shook his head solemnly.

“See, the band needs you,” Julie said.

“Have you even talked to the other guys yet?”

“Well, no-”

“Look, I’m busy, and I don’t really-”

“Please,” Julie pleaded. “My parents’ wedding anniversary is coming up, and I know it would mean the world to my dad to see you guys perform again.”

He sighed, suddenly melting. “Well, maybe if I can find my old leather…”

“Dude! We’re getting the band back together!” Flynn and Julie high-fived.

Reggie couldn’t stop the grin from creeping up on his face. “This is going to be fabulous!”

* * *

Next up was Alex Mercer: former drummer, now librarian? Julie couldn’t think of anything more different from being in a rock band.

Julie and Flynn walked into the library Reggie had led them to. They looked around and saw a man behind the front desk, stamping books. The two of them shared a look. He was a lot older now, and he was wearing glasses (as if to show that time had passed), but he was still recognizable. Besides, the way he was stamping the books and sliding them across the desk had a certain rhythm to it that was almost infectious. It had to be him.

They approached, putting their arms up on the desk in sync. He didn’t stop what he was doing as he looked up at them curiously. “Can I help you?”

Julie started, “Are you Alex Mercer?”

“The drummer of _Sunset Curve_?” Flynn added.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because we are getting the band back together.”

“Look, you met my mom once,” Julie added because he looked like he was about to argue. “She said you guys were going to be legends.”

He looked down. “We met a lot of people who said a lot of things.”

“Her name was Rose. She worked at the Orpheum. She died last year, but I know she would have loved to see you guys perform together again.”

He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about your mom, but that’s just not going to happen. Even if we could somehow work through our differences, I haven’t played the drums in years, ever since the accident.” Julie and Flynn shared a confused look, so he explained. “I fell asleep in a metronome factory once, and when I woke up, I had completely lost my sense of rhythm.”

Flynn and Julie shared another look before Flynn shook her head at him and spoke, almost rhythmically along with the beat he was still keeping up,

_“So you’re saying that you don't have rhythm_

_But listen what you're doing right there_

_With that stamp and a book_

_You got a real nice hook_

_Sounds to me like you've got rhythm to spare”_

He looked down at his hands and suddenly stopped what he was doing. “What?” He shook his head. _“_ I have no idea what you're talking about

I've got as much rhythm as that chair.” He nodded his head toward the chair behind him. Sighing, he started stacking books onto a cart, still in time with the same beat he’d started before. “Look, you girls seem sweet, and what happened to me was a tragedy, but I like it here. I like the quiet, the books, the people.” He pushed the cart around the desk. “Besides, I ain’t got rhythm.” They followed him throughout the library as he started putting books back on the shelves. He was hitting them as he did so, still keeping up that beat, apparently not even noticing he was doing it.

The girls bopped their heads and started clapping along. Julie grinned and sang, “ _You say you ain’t got rhythm…”_

Alex looked befuddled, but responded in kind, _“No, I ain’t got rhythm.”_

_“Say you ain’t got rhythm…”_

_“I ain’t got rhythm!”_ He shelved the book in his hand a a tad too aggressively.

They were shushed by some ladies meeting for a book club, but Flynn, still completely baffled that he couldn’t see what he was doing, tried again,

“ _You're kidding me right, y-you're kidding me?_

_Don't you see what you were doing right then?_

_That's a wicked groove you were starting to move_

_Buddy, you got rhythm times ten.”_

Alex shook his head. “Look, it’s not a big deal. I just can’t keep time. Sure, I might miss it sometimes, me on the drums, the guys on their guitars, but I don’t need to be a rockstar.” He picked up a couple pencils, spinning them around his fingers like drumsticks before hitting them on the shelves as he continued around the library. “Besides, I ain’t got rhythm.”

 _“You say you ain't got rhythm,”_ Julie sang again, watching him prove himself wrong over and over again.

_“No, I ain't got rhythm.”_

_“Say you ain't got rhythm”_

_“I ain't got rhythm!”_

_“Sounds like rhythm to me!”_

_“No, I ain't got rhythm.”_

Julie noticed others in the library bopping their heads to the beat, some even clapping along. “ _Seems like they all agree!”_ She and Alex went back and forth, getting more and more aggressive as they did, but she was smiling the whole time. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Hell, it hit her halfway through that this was the first time she’d sung in a year. (Was that why Flynn was looking at her like that?)

_“Said I ain't got rhythm.”_

_“But you're laying down-”_

_“I ain't got rhythm!”_

_“Some funky syncopation!”_

_“I ain't got rhythm.”_

_“But you got that beat!”_

_“No, I ain't got rhythm.”_

_“Look at them, they're stomping their feet!”_ Flynn pointed at the women in the book club, who were in fact now stomping their feet.

_“Said I ain't got rhythm.”_

“ _It's time for you to rock a brand new generation.”_

 _“Gonna rock a brand new generation,”_ Flynn repeated, harmonizing with Julie, who just grinned back at her.

 _“Because I ain't got rhythm!”_ Alex finally stopped, his heavy breathing now the only sound in the library.

One of the older women in the book club spoke up, “Oh, would you just go join the band?” She turned to the girls and spoke conspiratorially, “Those boys used to play for our book club. We always said they were going to be legends.”

Julie grinned and turned back to Alex. “Well?”

He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. “Ok, fine. If you can get Luke to be in the same room as the rest of us, I’ll do it.”

* * *

Julie and Flynn looked up at the sign in the shape of a guitar pick that said ‘Luke’s Music Shop.’ Julie looked at Flynn. “This must be it.”

They walked in to see a man speaking passionately with a woman behind the desk. His hair was much longer, and he had a beard, but the most jarring change was that he was wearing sleeves. Still, it had to be him.

“We’re looking for Luke Patterson,” Julie said as they walked up.

The two behind the desk stopped their conversation. The woman pointed to the man. “That’s him. I’m Vanessa.”

Julie smiled at her before turning to Luke. “You’re the lead singer of _Sunset Curve_.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while, but I’m always happy to meet a fan.”

“It’s actually my mom who was the fan. She even met you guys once.”

“Yeah?”

Julie nodded. “The night you were supposed to play the Orpheum. Her name was Rose.”

Luke nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember her. The way she talked about music and the way it connects people… man, I wish I had gotten a chance to talk to her more.”

Julie looked down. “Yeah, she was really passionate about music.” She looked back up at him. “And according to my dad, she always said you guys would have been legends if you had performed that night.”

He looked down. “Yeah.. Well, I guess we missed our chance.”

“But you didn’t,” Julie said.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re here.” Flynn said. “We want to reunite _Sunset Curve_.”

“It’s a nice thought, but you’ll never convince the others guys.”

“But we already did,” Julie said. “At least Alex and Reggie. We can’t figure out how to find Bobby.” It was like the guy didn’t even exist. Though Julie still couldn’t shake the feeling that he looked familiar.

“And you never will. Bobby Wilson doesn’t exist anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed. “He changed his name. To Trevor.”

Julie’s eyes went wide. “Trevor… Wilson?” He nodded.

“Trevor Wilson was in your band?” Vanessa asked. “Is that why you hate him?”

Luke nodded. “Yup. Biggest mistake of my life was trusting that guy. The other two I could probably still put up with, but Bobby is dead to me.”

“What’d he do?” Flynn asked. 

Luke sighed. “He stole my music. He was never a very good writer. Every one of his hits from his first couple albums was mine. _Crooked Teeth_ , that one was about Reggie. _Long Weekend, Get Lost_ …”

“ _My Name Is Luke_ ,” Julie said softly, things starting to click into place.

“ _My_ name is Luke!” They all startled a bit at the outburst. “Sorry. I just…”

“I get it,” Julie said. “Trust me.”

“Yeah,” Flynn added. “Guess being a traitor is in Wilson blood.”

At Luke’s confused look, Julie explained, “His daughter used to be our friend. Long story. This is just a lot to take in. Trevor kind of introduced me to rock.”

Vanessa snorted. “Guess Luke was really the one who introduced to you to rock.”

“How come you never told anyone they were your songs?” Flynn asked.

“Also a long story.”

Julie nodded. “Right, so… If I promise Bobby won’t be there, would you come perform with the band again?”

Luke looked over at Vanessa. “Think you can manage the store without me?”

She nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry, boss. I got this. You go have fun reliving your teen years with your boyfriends.”

Luke shook his head, but he was smiling. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

Carlos and Tia Victoria were tasked with keeping Dad out of the house and distracted while Flynn and Julie set everything up. They set up a little stage area in the backyard with lights, decorations, seating… everything they could think of. They put the _Sunset Curve_ logo on the garage doors. Julie even managed to get a couple of her dad’s coworkers to help out with lighting and filming. She was wearing an old bedazzled Sunset Curve t-shirt she’d found in her mom’s things. For the first time in a long time, Julie was truly excited about something music-related.

“This is where you live?”

Julie turned around at the sound of Reggie’s voice. The guys were here early to help set up. “Yeah. Have all my life.” _But not for much longer_. A thought that was making her sadder by the day, but she decided to push that away for now.

“That’s crazy. This is where we used to rehearse,” Luke told her.

“Yeah, Bobby-” Reggie stopped himself, glancing at Luke.

Julie nodded. “Yeah, he sold us the house. He and my mom were friends, until they had a falling out a few months before she died. She never told me what happened.” But now she wondered if perhaps her mom had found out just how he’d gotten famous in the first place. “But anyway,” She gestured to the area in front of the garage. “This is your stage. I know it’s not the Orpheum, but-"

"It's perfect," Luke assured her. She grinned back.

Once they had the instruments set up, they were in the garage getting ready. Seeing them back in their old clothes (Reggie in his leather jacket, Luke in his sleeveless hoodie and old band t-shirt, and Alex in a pink t-shirt and ripped denim jacket), they almost looked like kids again. Or maybe it was the pre-show energy they were all exuding, all of them oozing excitement even as they argued about the setlist and how they would sound one member short.

Julie had just gotten the text from Carlos that they were on their way home when the guys approached her, looking almost nervous. Alex was twisting his drumsticks in his hands.

“We’re going to need an opening act,” Luke told her.

Julie raised her eyebrow. “I think it’s a little last-minute for that.”

“Do you play?” Reggie asked, gesturing to the grand piano behind him.

“What?”

“Come on, I heard you sing the other day. You’re incredible,” Alex told her.

“I used to.” She nodded. “But I haven’t played piano in over a year.”

“And I haven’t played drums in over a _decade_ ,” Alex pointed out. “You went through all this to get us to play again after all this time-”

“Why don’t you take your own advice and join us?” Luke asked.

She bit her lip, looking between their excited faces. “What would I even play?” she asked, knowing she was already giving in.

“I saw a song on the piano,” Luke said. “It’s really good.”

She looked down. “My mom wrote that.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s ok.” She looked back up at them, a small smile starting to form on her face. “I think you’re right. She would want me to play, and I think that’s the perfect song.”

The guys helped her move the piano out to the stage, and when they opened the garage door, they saw that people were starting to arrive.

Flynn came up to them “What are you doing? I thought we already got the instruments set up.”

“It’s a surprise,” Julie told her.

“A little help?” Alex asked. Flynn waved over a couple people to come help them get it into place.

They’d just set it down when Julie and Flynn both got the ‘We’re here!’ text from Carlos. “Places!” Flynn announced.

Julie and the guys ran “backstage” (aka the garage) and waited for Flynn to announce them. “Ok, who’s ready, for the first time in 25 years, to hear _Sunset Curve_?!”

The crowd cheered. Luke ran onstage and took Flynn’s mic. Julie could hear the grin in his voice. “But first, opening for us, let’s make some noise for Julie Molina!” The crowd cheered again, but Julie was pretty sure it wasn’t as loud this time. Among the voices, she could make out the her little brother’s distinctly. She smiled, took a deep breath, and stepped out on stage. Luke fist-bumped her as she passed him.

Julie sat at the piano and looked back at the guys. All of them were giving her encouraging smiles and thumbs ups. She looked at Flynn next, who was doing the same. In the audience, she could see her dad, brother, and aunt, all looking at her with all the love in the world. She smiled. “Hi, everyone. I’m Julie. Um, this song was written by mom, and I’d like to dedicate it to her, as well as to my three new friends. I spent the last week encouraging them to play music again, and I never expected them to do the same to me, but they did. They’ve brought music back into my life. So thank you.” One last look at the band and then she brought her hands up to the piano. She hesitated for a second, suddenly feeling like she was going to throw up, but she looked at the sheet music, at the note from her mom on the bottom of the last page, and she knew she could do this.

“ _Here's the one thing I want you to know_

_You got someplace to go_

_Life's a test, yes_

_But you go toe to toe_

_You don't give up, no, you grow…_ ”

As she played, she could feel her mom with her, but this time it didn’t make her sad. It made her feel stronger. It made her feel like she could actually get through this. As she felt the music flowing through her, seeping into her bones, for the first time in a long time, she felt alive again. After a year of feeling numb with loss, she was finally waking up.

“ _Wake up, wake up, if it's all you do_

_Look out, look inside of you_

_It's not what you lost, it's what you'll gain_

_Raising your voice to the rain_

_Wake up your dream and make it true_

_Look out, look inside of you_

_When you're feeling lost_

_Relight that spark_

_Time to come out of the dark_

_Wake up, wake up…_ ”

She almost forget there was an audience until she heard them cheering for her. She looked up at them and smiled. She saw her family clapping louder than anyone else, her dad with tears in his eyes. She even could have sworn she saw Carrie in the audience looking… proud? She stood up and bowed. “Thank you. Now, give it up for _Sunset Curve_!” She handed the mic off to Luke and then ran walked off stage where Flynn was waiting to give her a hug. They stood together, their arms around each other, and watched the boy get into place.

“Wow, well, I don’t know how we’re gonna follow that up, boys,” Luke joked to his bandmates. “Seriously, that girl has the voice of an angel.” He put the mic in its stand and adjust his guitar. “But I guess we’ll have to try. Just keep in mind that this is like 25 years of rust getting dusted off.” He smirked and then nodded at Alex who started counting off.

They started with _Now or Never_ , and the audience was clearly feeling it immediately. And Julie was too. If they were good recorded, they were incredible live. Her dad made her way way over to her and put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. “You were incredible up there.”

“Thank you.” She looked up at him with a smile. “Happy anniversary, dad.”

“You did this for me?”

“Of course. And for mom, too.”

“She would be so proud of you, mija. You did a good thing here.”

They smiled at each other before turning back to the band to enjoy the music. They played the other songs she recognized from their demo, and she was happy to sing along. As _In Your Starlight_ ended, Julie caught a glint of something in Luke’s eye. He followed his gaze to Trevor Wilson standing in the audience, and unreadable expression on his face. The next song they played was _My Name Is Luke_. When Julie looked back at the end of the song, Trevor was gone.

They played a couple more classic “Trevor Wilson” songs that Julie knew now were actually Sunset Curve originals, and they invited her back onstage to sing with them. She knew every word by heart, and it was exhilarating being up there with the band. They played a few more originals, songs she’d never heard before, and she made her way back to Flynn in the crowd, happy to just dance along with her and enjoy the rest of the show. They closed with one called _Bright_ , the perfect ending to a perfect night.

“ _And rise through the night, you and I_

_We will fight to shine together_

_Bright forever!_ "

She cheered louder than anyone else as they bowed. And when Luke and Reggie set down their guitars, and Alex came around from behind his drums, she ran over to congratulate the. Before she made it to the stage, a man with long brown hair beat her to it. He was suddenly right in front of Alex, pulling him into a kiss.

Julie laughed in surprise and then again at the way Luke and Reggie’s jaws dropped. Luke cleared his throat, and they pulled apart, but kept their arms around each other. Alex’s face was bright red. Luke crossed his arms. “Who’s this?”

“This is my, uh… my boyfriend.”

The man held out his hand to the other two. “I’m Willie.”

Reggie nodded, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Uh huh.” He and Luke shared another look, one that Julie recognized but had rarely seen on someone their age, and she knew they were about to start teasing their friend mercilessly. He shook Willie’s hand. “Nice to meet you Willie. I’m Reggie.”

“And I’m Luke.

Alex put his head on Willie’s shoulder. “Help me. I’m suddenly 17 again, and these two are going to be the death of me.”

“Babe, they haven’t done anything.” Which was apparently not the right thing to say, from the way Luke and Reggie’s faces lit up at the word, ‘babe.’

Alex shook his head. “They’re going to convince me to do something stupid like jump off a bridge or eat hot dogs served out of the back of a car.”

“That was one time!” Reggie defended.

“I’m sorry, you guys did what?” Julie asked, making them all look at her.

“We were 17?” Luke tried.

“I’m 16, and I’m not that dumb,” Julie refuted, her hands on her hips.

Her dad came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “That’s because your parents raised you right. But I’m sure these guys have grown up since then.” The four of them all put their hands up in an ‘ehhh’ gesture. Ray snorted. “Or maybe not. Still, it’s nice to meet the men who brought music back to my nina.” He held out his hand. “I’m Ray.” They each shook his hand and introduced themselves, Reggie going first, seeming a bit overexcited. “Well, I’m gonna go get started cleaning up. I’ll let you guys get back to your conversation.” He kissed the top of Julie’s head again and then walked away.

Reggie watched him leave. “Your dad seems like the kind of guy who likes to barbecue. I bet he has a great ribs recipe.”

Julie had no idea how she was supposed to respond to that. “What?”

He turned to group. “Hey, unrelated and completely hypothetical question, how long after someone’s spouse died is it ok to hit on them?”

Julie shook her head. “If you’re talking about my dad, the answer is never.”

He pouted. “Oh come on. I’d make a great stepdad. Way better than any of mine anyway.”

“I-” She moved her palm in a circle to encompass all that was Reggie. “Ok, this. This is just too weird.” His pout grew, but the other guys all snorted. She looked over and pointed at Flynn, who was dealing with cords over by the garage door. “I’m gonna go help clean up. If you guys ever decide to be actual adults, maybe you can help too.”

Later, when it was just the Molinas and Flynn eating pizza in the kitchen, Julie decided to bring up something she’d been thinking about for a while now. “Hey, dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking… If you and Carlos don’t want to move, and you’re just doing this for me, I’m ok with that.”

“Yeah?”

“Dibs on staying!” Carlos raised his hand. “I don’t want to clean under my bed.

Dad pointed at him. “Noted.” He turned back to Julie. “What made you change your mind?”

“I know Tia says moving is moving on, but I don’t think that’s true. All our memories of mom are here, and I think we should be too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I think moving on has to come from the inside.”

Julie nodded. “Exactly.”

“And one of us just made a big step toward that tonight.”

Julie ducked her head and felt Flynn put her arm around her. “Yeah…”

“I know I don’t technically live here, but I vote you guys stay too,” Flynn said.

Dad smiled, looking between the three kids. “Well, looks like all votes are in. We’re staying!” He moved around the island to engulf them all in a group hug. _This is nice_ , Julie thought, squeezed between the people she cared about most in the world. The hole in her chest left by her mom would never quite be filled, but after today, it was starting to feel a little more manageable, like she could finally breathe.


End file.
